We have taken the liberty to add friends with whom we wanted to share our newsletter. As with all transmissions these days, this one doesn't have to be in your inbox. If you prefer not to have it sent every two months, just let us know.

Also, we have elected to provide a URL from which our readers may download the current issue so as to deter anything resembling "spam." Thanks, CGM

One Under Par

Volume 8, number 3.

A Newsletter fromKeyGolf.....June, 2007

Where To From Here?

We've been thinking - a dangerous thing to do, especially before the fact. After the fact, nearly everyone does it. Is there anyone who does not go through the "Woulda, coulda, shoulda" routine occasionally? Our "dangerous" thinking runs this way: It appears to us that our newsletter does little anymore than "preach to the choir." That self-directed evaluation comes with a message to ourselves. "It is almost humorous to keep telling those who come to dinner that they should come to dinner." Why tell folks who already know and do something that they should know and do something?

The upshot of that little piece of self-perception raises a rather serious question: Do we continue our newsletter and the weary themes that begin and end in self-management and the automatic process, or try something that will lend itself to variations on the theme? Our thinking has carried the "Say it often enough and maybe more players will hear it and take it to heart." That said, we did a little more searching, which finally led us here:

To a quote from the "Blogger” website which says:

“A blog is a personal diary. A daily pulpit. A collaborative space. A political soapbox. A breaking-news outlet. A collection of links. Your own private thoughts. Memos to the world.

Your blog is whatever you want it to be. There are millions of them, in all shapes and sizes, and there are no real rules. “

So perhaps, as our thinking went, we have been laboring under the wrong banner for some time, now. Self-exmination and evaluation says “One Under Par” is not really a newsletter, but more accurately, something of a blog. Certainly, we have lent ourselves to the "pulpit, soapbax and private thoughts" angles, a lot more than anything like "breaking news." And we address what we see as important without knowing for sure what you see as important.

Hopefully our "voice" does not sound "overdone" to others, but we often feel that it may be wearing thin, or completely out, for many people. Having considered that carefully, our view is that since there is little we can find anywhere in our Western part of the world that commends itself to honest, widespread concern for the mental game, anyway, it may be time for a change. We hasten to note, however, as we have found it, there is broader interest, comprehension and awareness from the Eastern part of the world. Of course, and admittedly, in the West, there is plenty of the polite, politically correct, "Oh yes, it's very important," speech for all occasions and other cliches. But genuine concern in the West, (born in what appear as discernable cultural and philosophical differences), except for a few dedicated players and instructors, is missing, either mostly or altogether. A basically informed concern is hard to find, and for the most part simply excluded, in articles, posts on golf forums, and other forms of responses that are surreptitiously born from mental game issues. The conclusion: in reality, "the mental game" has become not much more than a cliche, as such. What seems to us "half-baked" concern for the mental game even marks face-to-face conversations, at least in our experience, even though it often comes across solicitously, vis-a-vis, and then is clearly quite different when observed in the action that takes place between the first tee and the 19th hole.

So in full retrospect, we are considering concluding our publication of "One Under Par," and simply going for a blustery blog. Is it time to stop shouting toward those who already know? Very likely. And besides, maybe a blog would encourage exchanges in communication. So for a time, we may both "blog" and "newslet," with decision-to-come in mind.

It really gets old, as we view it, to sit here and type one more message to our readers that carries the repeated under- and overtones of disappointment with what we read and see in the mental game "media," that keeps calling for "dogs that won't hunt." (We'd like to have the proverbial nickel for every time our thought has been "Whatever are they thinking?!") Of course, that is aimed primarily at the character and quality of what is presented as either the "psychology of golf," "what you need to know about the mental game," or any other form of rhetoric that purports to be some special path to mental effectiveness. The promises come across in a universal pattern of words and themes - to wit, if you face your game with this extra pile of responsibility and jump through these hoops we have prepared for you, and if you follow this set of "umpteen" things to attend to, and if you can become all things to all people, it will take you to the top, (or to "Peak Perfomance" as many prefer to call it). Each has a postscript that claims being the "only" one(s) who can offer such. If you give more than a passing glance to any of that, you will notice that, if the purveyors are versed in the basic elements of human experience (without which one simply cannot expect to come to a personally effective conclusion), they are certainly not presenting that clearly. They know the words, but not the music. The way it comes across most often is like a bucket with a hole in it. It may look OK from a distance, but it won't hold water, at least not long enough to quench a golfer's "thirst." Sadly, that calls us to keep "singing the same song," and trying to repair the same "holey pail" carrying a UPC code marked "unfinished business." It's tough to go to step two, when step one is not yet complete. Walking is tough when the crawl hasn't been accommodated yet.

We have not been able to find any among the "mental game elite" who seem to notice, let alone conclude, that there is really anything to be done for players other than glibly urge them to lean on the inspiration of others, latch on to confidence, engage mental toughness, find the zone, and be more aggressive. (Do those not sound marvelously familiar?) Greater competency may be out there, but we have neither seen nor heard it. No one within our reach has yet extended any kind of useful definition for those advertised conditions or offered any practical means of actually giving substance to what their prouncements indicate as attainable "outcomes." The only noticeable steps for implementation come in recommendations for finding a personal therapist, (hypnosis is high on the call list, along with a sport psychologist), reading a book, or seeking out a new swing coach. In other words, the clearest messages invariably point to "what" players need, but in words and language that is bereft of bringing forth any tools or implementation strategies. The "how" that will fill those needs is simply unavailable or purposely omitted.

A recent poll on the Golf Channel illustrates our point, not so much in what it does ask, but in what it doesn't ask.

The poll went like this:

"What is the last thing you think about before you start your swing?"

• Your swing
• The target
• Your score
• Nothing

At the time we saw the poll, the responses were 56% swing, 30% target, 1% score, and 13% nothing. The very sad part is that if one wishes a productive result to what is arguably the single most important moment in one's game (making any shot), the answer should have been "None of the above." Anyone who has knowledge of the automatic principle, who knows the defaults in the human system, and possesses the tools for self-managment, would immediately recognize that this poll has only one possible result - it will add to the baggage players typically carry around and make more mental game trouble for those who do not understand how the human system works. The uninformed will look at that list and likely go by what the majority vote says, and never even realize that it would make no difference which one they picked, since all four are out of bounds.

The first three will put you instantly into the future or past...So... Let's hear it for good old Anxiety and all its offspring!! The last one -"Nothing" - is humanly impossible and ignores the 97% non conscious mental activity that is normal in our lives and inevitably stretched to the limit under presssure. It is a foregone conclusion that the way most players approach this game, anxiety will continue to rule. Unmanaged, it will produce enough psychological static, accompanied by physiological irregularity, and unsymmetrical action in a person's bodily motion to interefere, perhaps subtley, with most shots. Like it or not, it will infect the players normal patterns to an extent that causes off-line trajectory, inconsistent distances, wayward chip shots, putts that are too short, too long or otherwise not on target, and frustration by the car load. If that is a "distant" idea for you, then you missed watching the US Open and seeing the world's best be troubled by unusual circumstances and situations. They really are good, but not immune. Anxiety will continue to drain energy through the kind of stress that inevitably strikes at the unprotected. It will burn a hole in one's energy container faster than you can say "Oops." It will also put more glitches in anyone's game than an alligator coming at full tilt from a Florida swamp. No wonder Ben Hogan was known to have said that if he hit a half dozen pure shots in a round, it was a lot, and he was pretty good at the game.

It amazes us that so many with all their knowledge, education and experience still do not get it. Anxiety continues to be regarded and treated as though all one needs to do is face the demon, command it to go away, as in "be mentally tough," and your troubles will be over. That illustrates ignorance personified, a lot of which, by the way, is wandering around on public display, (assuming, of course, that we can use the word "ignorance" in its true meaning - "lack of knowledge" - and not as a "cuss word.") We care about whether players and instructors have what they need in knowledge, skill and self-motivation, but it is not critical for us whether they use clear keys or not. What is critical lies in the ultimate necessity to understand the automatic principle and accompany that with a form of implementation at least the equivalent of clear keys, or something of greater value to replace them.

We visit and read the content in golf forums on a daily basis. There is no doubt in our minds that the issues and processes we present appear to hold the only actually existing tool out there ever given attention. Except for our active participation in discussion, a lot of that attention, however, comes in the form of doubtful questioning, which always runs a parallel track with "lack or knowledge." Perhaps the most disturbing issue we encounter rests in the lengthy lists of things players are urged to do to get where they are going, while most, if not all of what is on those lists can be accomodated with one swift mental move - IF the non conscious thinking part of the human experience is acknowledged and circumspectly placed into the mix so that a tool like clear key makes sense. Sadly, that part continues to be heavy on the "missing in action" roster. A lot of people can see and report what "the problem(s)" is (are), but after that, the "fixes" are typically multi-faceted and complex, and stuffed someplace into one more leaky bucket, adding unnecessary weight to an already substantial "workload." The issue here should be to reduce the weight, not add to it... simplify the playing. It doesn't need compounding.

Here's a link to a New York Times article, just referred to us by our good friend, Karen Davies, that will attest, at least by inference, to what we are seeing. (You'll need a FREE NY Times access). Notice that the author can see the problem, but apparently not the solution, though that part may not be in his job description. [A postscript must go here belatedly. We just notived that the Times has changed their entry three times now, from fully open, to half open, to pay-per-view. We apologize for that. Ignore the link].

We understand that even though there is a growing cadre of both dedicated players and instructors, who understand and practice what we speak of, there are many more who may think we are just making noise, as in "crying in the wilderness," and while we may care, that perception of us is beyond our control. What is left as the residue of that view is the notion that thinking the same thoughts today as yesterday will somehow magically create something better tomorrow. As our "broken record" continues to insist, it hasn't happened and it isn't going to happen that way.

And we say that with no fear of recrimination, since we have accepted the reality that we cannot possibly beat Mother Nature's conditions - at least not without consquences, great or small. Ignoring "her" principles may not be illegal, but attempting to by-pass those principles is on the grievous list, and is prelude to missing the mark that most claim to be seeking. We don't really like the possibility that we may sound to many like "the little boy that cried wolf," since that forces our mission away from its mark. So maybe we should simply execute the "honorable" golf maneuver and "WD" so a "bad score" doesn't get recorded. (Enter the Blog).

Besides we could have a lot of fun not having to write anymore about research, principle or process, profiles of any more players, make any more speeches, and just sit on the sidelines, stay in touch with those who care, and amuse ourselves otherwise by watching uninformed players and teachers drop like flies with strained expressions, same old questions and thin excuses for going around in circles that keep leading to a "finish" line that turns out to be no more than a place to start over... "Well, that didn't work. Let's try this..." or as some put it, "Well, back to basics"...if you know what and where they are.

UUUHHHMMM...A light goes on...Is it possible that all along we have missed the mundane obsession of this game, and that we have just this moment inadvertently stumbled over the mystique of it as we were writing this? Could it be that it's not the game itself, or the mastery of it, that players are seeking? Could it be that no one really wants to find their personal Holy Grail in a finished game? Perhaps the masses simply love and thrive on wallowing in the search. Perhaps, after all, it's no less or more than death and resurrection re-enacted on a daily basis. Could it be that the entire hidden meaning in golf is, ultimately, not recreational, but theological?! Or maybe, as someone put it, "Golf is not a matter of life and death, it is much more important than that."

Holy golf game, Batman! You forgot your putter!

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